


Sometimes things work out if you just stop trying.

by Cor321



Category: Red White & Royal Blue - Casey McQuiston
Genre: 5 Times they just can't quite get it right, 5+ 1, Alex may get increasingly annoyed as things don't go his way, Alternate Universe - College/University, Domestic Fluff, Fluff, Henry is 'very' competent, M/M, RWRB Secret Snowflake, We love a good happy ending
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-25
Updated: 2020-12-25
Packaged: 2021-03-10 20:35:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,191
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28303188
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cor321/pseuds/Cor321
Summary: Alex is head of heels for Henry from their second date. The only problem? They still haven't kissed and Alex tries so desperately hard to change that. Maybe sometimes thing work out if you just stop trying.orThe five times Alex and Henry almost kiss, and the one time he isn't thinking about it and they do.
Relationships: Alex Claremont-Diaz/Henry Fox-Mountchristen-Windsor
Comments: 12
Kudos: 57
Collections: The Firstprince Secret Snowflake Exchange





	Sometimes things work out if you just stop trying.

**Author's Note:**

  * For [LadyMephistopheles](https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyMephistopheles/gifts).



> My Secret Snowflake, I hope you love this fic as much as I loved creating it. I hope your holidays are amazing and that this brightens your day.

It was their third date. Alex was excited and nervous because even though they had been on two dates already they had yet to kiss. It’s not like it mattered much in the scheme of things, but Alex was starting to second guess everything.  _ Did Henry not think he was hot? Did his breath stink? Was he not smart enough to keep up with Henry?  _ Alex did his best to shake the thoughts before Henry got back from the restroom. 

“Sorry about that,” Henry said as he slid back into the booth, “now that I’m back from the loo where were we?”

“You were telling me how good you are at pool. I do believe you said something along the lines of ‘ _ I wiped the floor with them, I was so good.’ _ ”

“Pshhh,” Henry said, blushing, and my god did Alex ever live for that blush. “I dabbled in a few tourneys in secondary school and may have gotten on the podium every time.” Watching Henry try and be humble was the most adorable thing Alex thinks he’s ever seen and he had volunteered at a puppy adoption drive.

“Uh huh,” Alex said, his face resting on the back of his hands, as his elbows rested on the table. “I think we need to see if you are really as good as you say you are.” This could really backfire, as Alex was completely shit at pool and now Henry, no doubt would come to the same realization very soon. The innate need to see Henry be so competent overwhelms his self preservation. 

Henry slid out of his side of the booth and downed the last couple sips of beer which was far hotter than it should have been. “Okay then. Let’s go, love.” Alex’s heart skipped a beat when he heard the nickname. Henry put out his hand for Alex to grab and he followed Henry to the lowly lit pool tables.

Henry gathered the balls in the rack and set them up with an ease that could only come with a lot of experience and practice. Once he was done Henry went to the cabinet that held all of the cues and inspected them all before choosing the right one. All of this was sending Alex into overdrive thinking about how embarrassed he was going to be when Henry figured out how bad he was, but also how much more attractive this made him in Alex’s eyes. 

“Do you want me to break? Or would you like to?” Henry asked, offering the cue to Alex. 

“Oh no, I couldn’t.” Alex said, crossing his arms in front of his chest, “we need to see that podium finisher start this game.”

Henry smiled before he stared at the group of balls, leaned on the cue, and finally bent over the table, the cue effortlessly beside him. Alex held his breath as he took in the lines of Henry, of the cue and how his hands controlled it, it was all  _ a little much  _ for him. Luckily Alex was put out of his misery fairly quickly because Henry shot an impressive break, successfully sinking two stripes and one solid before Alex could even comprehend what had happened.

Henry stood up with a smug look on his face and realigned himself to take the next shot. He sank another two balls before missing, allowing Alex a chance to make a fool of himself. 

Alex went to the cabinet holding the cues and tried his best to make it look like he knew what he was doing. He felt Henry’s eyes on him the whole time. Next, he went around the whole table trying to figure out where he should place the cue ball for his next shot. He glanced at Henry who was leaning against a table with his hands on the top of the pool cue, with an amused look on his face. 

Finally he found a place he liked and thought he could  _ possibly _ sink a ball. As he was about to set up for his shot, Henry cleared his throat. Alex looked back perplexed. “Love,” Henry said, his voice smooth as velvet, “you have to shoot from one of the short sides, the cue ball must be placed behind these white lines.” He said, pointing to said white lines.

Alex cleared his throat and mumbled something back, and then placed the cue ball in the proper area. He got himself reconfigured and took a deep breath before he pulled the cue back and brought it forward… only to miss the cue ball completely. He heard a snicker from behind him and saw Henry place his cue on the table behind him and come sauntering toward him. 

Before he knew it Henry was pressed up against his back, his hands wrapped around Alex repositioning him. Alex swallowed thickly as Henry finished up adjusting him. “See, love, it’s about follow through,” Henry said gently into his ear as he shot the ball with Alex sinking a solid ball. 

Alex looked over his shoulder and saw the proudest smile on Henry’s face. He had started to ease off Alex who was already missing the contact. Hee glanced down at Henry’s lips and let himself be pulled in by the softness and fullness of them. He knew that this was his chance to get that kiss and he was going to go for it. He spun around, forgetting that he still had the pool cue in his hands. Henry was obviously not paying attention to that either because he never lost eye contact until all of a sudden he was bent over groaning. Alex looked down and realized that he had just sacked his date with the pool cue.

“Oh my god Henry, I am so sorry,” Alex said, dropping the cue on the ground. 

Henry was leaning with his hands on the table trying to catch his breath, “It’s alright, just need a minute.” 

Alex spent the rest of the date apologizing profusely while Henry continually said it was fine. It was definitely not fine and there was definitely no kiss at the end of the date, much to Alex’s chagrin.

_________________________

They were at school a couple of days later, in line in the cafeteria to get one of their mediocre meals their campus had to offer. See, Alex would have made something to eat for lunch but he was too busy talking with Henry on the phone, convincing him which Star Wars movie was truly superior. Now he was standing here, waiting for no doubt, bland, overpriced food but he really can’t find it in him to care.

Henry was standing in front of him, leaning against the railing with his hair perfectly quaffed talking about his political science class. Alex couldn’t be sure exactly what Henry was talking about because he was too distracted by his piercing blue eyes, and his fingers that were running up and down his arm. He tried to focus back on what Henry was saying, but the second he glanced back up at his eyes he saw a glint of what he had seen the other night before he so rudely ruined it. Henry took a deep breath before taking half a step toward him, and Alex brought his hand up to his waist.

“Alex, my dude!!!!!” He heard someone screaming from behind him. He groaned when he turned and saw Nora running toward him. He loved her to death, but he was so close to finally getting to kissing Henry. “Hi, I’m Nora.” She said to Henry sticking out her hand.

“Henry,” he said, politely taking her hand in his.

Nora looked at Alex and mouthed, ‘ _ Alex he’s really hot.’ _ ****

Alex just rolled his eyes and turned away. “I can’t do this,” he said before walking off.

“Don’t you need to eat?” Nora asked as he was just about to leave. 

He turned back, “I’ll live, I’ve got my coffee and that is more than enough.” Nora rolled her eyes before turning her attention back to Henry.

“Sorry Henry, Alex was being so rude---” He walked away before he could hear the rest of that conversation. He would text Henry as soon as he could to apologize, but he just didn’t feel like answering Nora’s questions at that point in time. Frankly, he was a little annoyed that yet another kiss was ruined, at least this time it wasn’t his fault.

_________________________

Alex isn’t sure who made the executive decision to merge their group of friends with a  _ friendly _ game of bowling, but here they were now. Pez was explaining to Nora and June how the angle of his backswing mixed with a thorough follow through has helped his bowling game immensely. Alex was a little concerned about how much Nora and June were fawning over him. He was a nice guy and everything, but not at all his type. He couldn’t fault Nora and June for falling all over the accent though, because he could not get enough of Henry’s.

“Sorry for stopping for a moment,” Alex said, shaking his head to rid his mind of any thoughts of his best friend and sister with Pez. “Like I was saying though, the geopolitical climate in the United States is atrocious, and I’m not saying that I am all knowing. I am well aware of how much I need to learn. I just think they need someone that is a person of colour, but someone who really cares about what happens to the people of this country, but also how we interact with the rest of the world. I am so tired of old white guys, no offense.”

“None taken,” Henry said, his hand resting softly on his knee. “I am actually quite intrigued by this plan of yours,” he continued, the smile on his face soft and genuine.

“You see, Henry, the plan is to be the youngest senator elected. Then after that, president. Then all the nay-sayers will have something to say about the half Mexican politician. My dad’s already a governor in California, so politics is definitely in the genes, and my mom runs a non-profit helping domestic abuse survivors so I am no stranger to hard work.” That look was back, the sparkle, how his smile reached the corner of his eyes. It was breathtaking, like a shimmering lake as the moon hits it on a beautiful, clear night. The hand that Henry had resting on his felt like fire as it snaked up his thigh. He looked down to his lips and back up to Henry’s breathtaking eyes, he looked up just in time to notice Henry had just done the same thing.

Alex was finally leaning in to kiss Henry, thinking ‘ _ this is finally the moment’ _ when Pez burst back into the sitting area yelling, “That’s a strike, motherfuckers!” Henry and Alex immediately broke apart as he came barrelling toward the pair. Alex groaned in frustration, hitting his head on the back of the plastic set while he noticed Henry bring his fingers up to his lips. God, Alex so desperately wanted to be where those fingers were. Pez pulled him out of the daze he was in by sitting down between them, wrapping an arm around both of them. “You know my dears, we came here to play the great American pastime of bowling, not for my Henny boy here to smooch that pretty face of yours.”

Alex heard Henry mumble something along the lines of, “There wasn’t much smooching thanks to you.” 

As annoyed as Alex was by the interruption, he was glad that Henry was equally as frustrated. Unfortunately, they did not get any other chances that night, as the others were always in their space when they weren’t bowling and he went home with June and Nora since they were his roommates.

_________________________

The next Wednesday they were walking home from Uni, having just stopped at one of Alex’s favourite food trucks. 

“I cannot believe you have never bought anything from a food truck before Henry!” Alex exclaimed.

Henry put his hands up in surrender, his bubble tea still in his hands. “How was I supposed to know that little truck has the best bubble tea on this side of New York?”

“You have to trust the magic of the food truck, Hen!”

“And trust that they won’t give me food poisoning? Those things can’t be completely sanitary.”

“Oh you Brits and your innocent sensibilities, the chance of getting food poisoning is part of the fun!” Henry huffed a laugh at that, his smile as wide as could be. Alex looked around them, the sun was setting on their late November evening walk. It was unseasonably warm and fortunately there really weren’t that many people around them. They weren’t far from Alex’s apartment, but that kind of annoyed him because this would be the last time they could see each other for a whole two weeks as Alex had to really hunker down and study for finals. He would invite Henry to study with him, but he knew having Henry there with him would distract more than help.

They reached the steps of Alex’s apartment much too quickly for his liking. “Ughhhh,” Alex said, “I hate that this is the last time I’m going to see you for like two weeks.”

“I know, love, but you and I both know we will get absolutely no studying done if we were together.” Henry carded his fingers through the hair at the nape of Alex’s hair, pulling him closer in the process. Alex felt his breathing hitch, “It is so easy to get lost in those beautiful brown eyes.” Henry took his other hand and moved Alex’s bangs out of his eyes. “And I could listen to you ramble on for ages, the way you tell a story could convince anyone to believe what you say.” 

Alex took a step forward, his back toward the street, and slid his hand around Henry’s waist. This was their time, their chance to finally cut the tension that’s been building between them. Alex could feel Henry's breath ghost overtop his lips. At the same time, he heard someone speeding down the street and a moment before he was going to finally kiss Henry his whole back and legs were splashed with slush from the street.

“Are you fuckin kidding me?” Alex exclaimed, pulling away from Henry. 

“Are you okay?” Henry asked, his face full of concern.

“That asshole just splashed all of the slush from the street all the way up my legs and back.” Alex said, “And these were my favourite chinos, that are now stuck to the back of my legs. I’m sorry, Hen, but I have to get upstairs and out of these asap, we’ll talk soon. 1 hour a night remember.”

“Of course, love, I will text you when I get home.” 

Alex ran up the stairs, so immensely frustrated because some asshole not only ruined what should have been an amazing moment but also his favourite pair of pants.

_________________________

Henry had taken it upon himself to plan their first date after finals. He was so excited about it too, the only hint that Alex could get out of him was to dress warm. He did his very best to look good and dress warm. Honestly, he was just glad he had invested in ear muffs that didn’t mess up his hair because he took a lot of time to make it look as good as it always did. 

Henry was waiting at his apartment, looking sexy as ever, even in a hat with a pom pom on top. He was smiling wide, and Alex resisted the urge to kiss him then. He was determined to make it special and the beginning of a date just seemed too mundane, dare he say, domestic? Henry reached his hand out to Alex, like the gentleman he was. Alex felt himself blush a little, although if pressed about it he would definitely deny it. 

“So where are we going hot stuff?” Alex asked, his hand still firmly in Henry’s grasp as they walked down the street. 

“Oh I’m hot stuff now?” Henry asked.

“Oh like you didn’t know,” Alex smirked back at him.

“Well I will give you one hint.” Alex looked at him eagerly. “We only have to walk a few minutes.”

Alex tried his best to wrack his brain for something that was that close to his apartment, but he was coming up empty. 

“Would you like another hint?” Henry asked, with the smuggest smirk on his face, like he wasn’t enjoying any second of this, Alex nodded. “We need whatever I have in this duffel to partake in this date.” Alex then noticed the duffel bag that Henry must have been carrying the whole time. 

“I still have no clue, baby,” Alex said the name casually but was struck with how domestic it felt, he hadn’t said it before and goddamn they hadn’t even kissed. Yet nothing had ever felt so right. He noticed the blush that showed up on Henry’s cheeks, although that could have also been the cold air. Seconds later they rounded the corner to the community centre that had-- “Skating, we’re skating tonight?” Alex hadn’t been in years, but he figured it couldn’t be  _ too  _ difficult.

“Indeed,” Henry said, “I even got your sister to go through your stuff to find your skates.” 

“That’s why my closet looked weird! I knew I hadn’t moved those textbooks!”

“You aren’t mad are you?” Henry asked, stopping in the place he was standing, clearly a little worried about Alex’s last statement.

“Of course not,” he answered. Alex couldn’t help the smile on his face as he took a step toward Henry. “Besides you can’t be good at everything, so maybe I will finally redeem myself for how awful I was at pool.” Henry’s smile returned almost immediately. 

“Well, I wouldn’t be so sure,” Henry said with a wink. 

Alex laughed while pulling Henry behind him toward the rink. He was genuinely excited and he wasn’t afraid to show it. Henry put the duffel bag on the bench between them and Alex pulled out the hockey skates he used occasionally in highschool. He was never on any team or anything but he did go to rinks occasionally to shoot some pucks with his friends. A few moments later Henry pulled out a pair of what looked like black figure skates. They laced up their skates in silence, stealing glances along the way.

Henry got up first and put his hands out to help Alex up, which he graciously accepted. If Alex was honest with himself he was a bit more wobbly on the skates than he remembered being. He waddled to the ice on the black mats with Henry following him. The first few skates on the ice were a little shaky, but he figured everyone was like that and he would grow used to the skates before long. 

Henry came zooming by from behind him, he looked like he was made to be on skates. He took a couple of strides and then spun effortlessly so that he was facing Alex.

“There seriously isn’t anything you aren’t good at is there?” Alex asked.

“Well, to be completely fair. My parents made me take figure skating all of primary school. So I do have a  _ bit  _ of an unfair advantage.”

“And you let me make stupid remarks because?” Alex asked playfully, skating toward Henry who was currently skating backwards like he was made to do it.

“Because you are adorable when you overestimate yourself, love.” Alex scrunched his nose at Henry, but he had a hard time staying mad at him because Henry always found a way to sweet talk him.

They skated like that for a while, Henry going backwards, throwing in the occasional spin to show off. Alex refused to admit that whenever Henry showed off like that it did something to his body he wasn’t expecting and it apparently wasn’t something he could control. 

Henry went to his bag and took a water bottle out of it, drinking from it before offering some to Alex. He shook his head, he wasn’t all that thirsty, at least not for water. 

Henry leaned against the railing of the rink, watching Alex skate. He did his best to impress his boyfriend, and the proud look on Henry’s face sent a warmth to his heart that he hadn’t ever really experienced before. He wanted to be the reason for that expression for as long as he can. 

Alex skated toward Henry, he figured this was as good a time as any when they were both so happy. Lit by the moon and all alone in this rink. There was no pressure, yet this elastic tension between them threatening to snap, if only one of them took that step. He skated a little faster, looking forward to getting into Henry’s arms and finally getting his lips on Henry’s. He wasn’t looking at the ground so he didn’t see the pebble on the ice right before he reached his boyfriend and he was knocked off balance and smashed his face into the boards. 

He didn’t feel much besides searing pain in the moments that followed, but he did know that he was now on the ice and he could feel liquid on his upper lip.

“Alex!” Henry cried out, “Oh my goodness, are you okay?” He said. “Of course you are not okay, your nose is bleeding,” Henry mumbled to himself. 

_ Huh _ , Alex thought,  _ that’s what’s running down my face. _ He groaned as he tried to look up at Henry. 

“Here, love, take this to soak up the blood,” Henry said, offering his scarf. Alex took it and held it against his face as Henry started to help him up off the ice. The next few minutes were a blur while Henry helped take his skates off and put his shoes on. Henry walked him home and when they got to the door he asked, “Babe, are you sure you don’t want me to come in with you?”

“I’m fine,” Alex said, waving him off. “Nora and June will make sure I’m okay.” 

“If you’re sure,” he said, his face full of concern.

“I am. And look, I’m sorry for ruining our date.”

“You didn’t ruin the date. I had an amazing time. My scarf now that’s another story.”

“Yeah, I’m sorry about that. I had a great time too. I’ll text you okay.”

“Sounds wonderful. Maybe you can come to my basketball game this weekend and we can go out after?” Henry asked, his face hopeful.

“I’d love that,” Alex answered before turning to go back into his building.

_________________________

That weekend, Alex was at Henry’s with Pez and June and Nora by his side. His nose was finally feeling better, his pride not so much, but he could live with that. The game was great, Henry’s rec team won by a margin of 30 points and to make things even better, Henry wasn’t even the best player on his team. He was good, of course, but nothing more than average when compared to his teammates. 

At the end of the game, Henry grabbed his bag from the bench and walked towards the stands with a towel around his neck. He was wiping the sweat that glistened off his forehead when he finally reached Alex and the others. 

Alex was just about to say something when Henry placed a chaste kiss on his lips. Alex had just sunk into the kiss when Henry pulled back, his eyes wide, much like Alex’s own. It was nothing like he thought it would be, there was no perfectly curated date or moment. It was so incredibly  _ domestic _ , so incredibly  _ them _ . He was taken out of his daze when Henry started to walk away. 

“Oh no you don’t,” he said, pulling Henry back by his shirt and closing the distance between them again. This time he was able to sink into the kiss, the way his lips moved against Henry’s. The way Henry’s fingers snaked into his hair, running them through his curls. They fell so easily in sync with each other like this. When he eventually pulled back, it was only so he could get a chance to catch his breath.

“Wow,” Henry said. 

“You’re right about that,” Alex replied, the smile on his face now a permanent fixture.

“I think we finally found something you’re good at,” Henry whispered.

Alex pulled back with a mock offended expression. He slapped Henry playfully before the other man pulled him in for another kiss. He melted into it, the feeling of home and comfort surrounding him. They were only taken out of their little world by the hoots and hollers of their friends behind them. They broke apart and Henry wrapped his arm around his shoulders as they walked toward their friends. Gone was the pressure, it was now replaced with happiness, comfort, and a lot of kisses in their future.

**Author's Note:**

> This fic was created for the FirstPrince Secret Snowflake Gift exchange put on by the [RWRB Discord Server: A Grey Area](https://discord.gg/JwardtVJRV). If you are looking for a RWRB discord server this is such a welcoming place! We would love to have you.


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